Letters to Santa
by KyuubixChocolateCake
Summary: "'Asuka's wish was for Natsu to make you smile again' Happy giggled above their heads, hovering over them with a mischievous smile. 'Huh' Lucy questioned dumbly, looking up at him only to see mistletoe clutched in his blue paws." It's Christmas Eve, and Mira's been up to her scheming again... NaLu Holiday One-shot.


_Letters to Santa  
_ _by KyuubixChocolateCake_

Staring at the doors of the guild sadly, Lucy sighed and took a sip of her strawberry milkshake. "I'm sure they'll be back any day now, Lucy," Mirajane called from down the bar, smiling hopefully when the blonde's bored gaze fell on her. Sighing softly again, Lucy stirred her drink and placed it on the counter.

"I know," she said. "It's just, I haven't seen them in almost three weeks! Why'd they have to go and take a solo mission anyway?" Walking over, Mira patted her hand consolingly.

"It was a request specifically for Natsu. The only one he was allowed to take was Happy. Besides, I'm sure that wherever he is, he's thinking of you!" Lucy blushed at the takeover mage's sly smile.

"W-what? Don't go saying such weird stuff, Mira!" the key holder squeaked. Her white haired friend giggled before gliding away to serve someone down the bar, and she slumped in relief.

She knew she shouldn't have let her feelings for Natsu slip. The She Demon had taken every opportunity she could find to get Lucy and her pink haired partner alone and embarrass her into confessing, but somehow she'd managed to slip away, blushing and stuttering like a fool every time. Natsu, being as dense as he was, had no idea of what was really going on. He'd actually thought that they'd gotten stuck in that tiny closet at the back of guild hall and away from prying eyes and ears together, with no way for them to position themselves other than Lucy sitting on his lap, through some freak accident.

Mavis bless his soul.

Blowing a puff of air up at her bangs in frustration, Lucy settled back in her seat to watch the doors once more, hoping that her oblivious best friend would walk through in the next few moments.

However, as the day continued to dwindle away, Lucy realized that there was probably no chance of her dragon slayer and his trusty blue exceed returning home that evening. She stood from the bar stool slowly and winced as the sensation of pins pricking the entire length of her legs greeted her as the blood rushed full speed to bring feeling back to her lower extremities. She dusted off her skirt and pulled her jacket over her torso, then waved goodbye to Levy, Mirajane, Wendy, and Lisanna, setting out for her apartment and pulling her gloves on.

As she walked, she took in the colorful lights that decorated homes and storefronts, and the brightly colored packages people held in their hands as they scurried home in the light snowfall. Digging her hands into the pockets of her stylish, but warm winter coat, she watched everyone gloomily.

' _Tomorrow's Christmas,_ ' she thought, ' _and I can't even find it in myself to be excited! I am such a Scrooge._ ' Her breath puffed out of her mouth in a white cloud and she watched as it dispersed quickly in the frigid air. ' _Natsu…_ '

"Miss, Miss! Would you like to make a Christmas wish?" Lucy was jerked out of her thoughts by the high voice, and looking around, she finally saw the little girl who had been calling out to her. She was bundled up in a thick brown winter jacket, a dark hat with a fuzzy pom-pom on her head and matching mittens on her small hands. Her cheeks and nose were flushed red from the cold, and large green eyes peered out from under the edge of her hat.

"A wish?" Lucy repeated curiously. The child nodded.

"Yeah! Well, it's more like a letter to Santa. Would you like to write one?" Hesitating for a moment, Lucy finally succumbed to the little girl's innocent and pleading eyes and figured that writing one measly little letter couldn't hurt; even if there was no chance of her getting what she wanted for Christmas. Following her to the small table set up on the side of the street, Lucy picked up a pen and studied the sheet of paper in front of her. Then, she set her pen to the paper and began.

She was done a minute later, and folding the letter in half, she pressed a quick kiss to its surface for extra luck, then handed it down to the girl. Turning, she continued back to her apartment.

Back at the guild hall, Mirajane dried off the newly washed glasses and watched her fellow guild mates contentedly. The guild was decorated for the holidays, and she'd been serving eggnog all night. Suddenly, the doors opened and she perked up in excitement as a smaller person ran over to her.

"Okay Miss! I got letters from all of the people you asked for!" the little girl in front of her panted. Mira squealed happily and clapped her hands together, gaining a few curious glances. Noticing this, she calmed herself somewhat and smiled largely instead.

"Thank you so much, sweetheart!" Holding her hand out, she collected a small bundle of folded papers. Mira just couldn't stand to see her friends down during such a happy season, and so she had hired a young girl from another nearby guild to persuade them all into writing letters to Old St. Nick in the hopes of getting them to spill their hearts out on the paper about what they wanted.

Flipping through a few of them quickly, she smiled softly at the heartfelt wishes and saw that a few of them were actually things that she could accomplish. Eventually she got to the end of the pile, and as she read through the last of the letters, her eyes widened.

 _Dear Santa,_

 _I know that it might not be possible, and that maybe I'm asking too much from you. But all I want for Christmas this year is… My dragon._

 _Please send him home to me!_

 _Sincerely,  
Princess_

Mira smiled sadly at what was obviously Lucy's 'letter to Santa'. It would have been great if she could have done something for her, but there was just no chance… Handing a small bag of Jewel to the young wizard on the other side of the counter, Mirajane tucked the letters into one of the pockets of her dress, and returned to cleaning up. However, there was a static crackling from the shelf, and she looked up curiously as the communication lacrima resting there began to grow dark with an incoming message.

"Hello? Hello? Is this thing working, Happy?" Straightening quickly, Mira stepped up to the crystal and gathered it in her hands, pulling it down to set it on the table before her.

"Natsu?" she called uncertainly. Suddenly the crystal cleared and a live image of Natsu stared back at her in surprise.

"It works!" he exclaimed. "Happy, come here!"

"Aye!" There was a flutter of wings, and soon Happy was perched on Natsu's head. The pinkette took a step back from the screen and she saw them more fully. "Hi Mira," the exceed chirped.

"Hey, Mira!" Natsu added.

"Happy, Natsu! How are you calling me?" she asked curiously. Natsu scratched at his neck and looked somewhere behind him.

"Uh, the client had a universal communication Lacrima. He said it could call anyone we asked it to. I didn't think it was gonna work, but it looks like it did!" he told her.

"Oh! Well, what do you boys need? The client isn't making us pay for damages is he? Natsu…" she said, giving him a stern glare. He laughed nervously.

"No, no! It's nothing like that! We just wanted to let someone from the guild know that we were on our way home since we were gone longer than expected. We should be back by tomorrow night…" he trailed off and Happy snickered behind him.

"I'm making him take the train!" Oh, so that explained Natsu's queasy expression.

"A-anyways, is… is Lucy there? I know she was pretty peeved that I went without her…" at his hopeful expression, Mira felt the starting of an ingenious plan begin to form in her mind. However, she schooled her features into a woeful expression and shook her head sadly.

"Sorry Natsu, but she already left for the night. She has been pretty annoyed with you for the last few weeks though." The dragon slayer seemed to physically deflate at her white lie, and she cheered inwardly. Maybe he did have some idea of his feelings for the celestial mage! It was clear for anyone to see that they were obviously there. Maybe a little subdued by Natsu's naturally innocent nature to most things romantic, but still there nonetheless.

"Oh," he said with disappointment, and she saw Happy's ears flatten in guilt as well. But then, he straightened with a new fire in his eyes, and made a fist of determination. "Yosh! That just means we'll have to do something super awesome and make her forgive us! Right little buddy?"

"Aye sir!" Happy cheered. "Do you think she'd like a big barrel of fish, Natsu?"

"Uh, probably not, Happy. But it's a good place to start!" Mira hid a giggle behind the palm of her hand. Oh, this couldn't get any better! It was like the universe wanted her to get Natsu and Lucy together!

"Actually, I might have an idea Natsu! But I'll tell the both of you when you arrive tomorrow." Natsu nodded, but looked at her cautiously.

"It's not gonna be super… expensive, is it?" Placing her hands on her hips, Mira raised an eyebrow.

"No, but that shouldn't be a problem anyways. You two just finished up a really high-paying job, didn't you?" In the crystal of the lacrima, Natsu scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Well, yeah, but I was… sorta planning on giving most of the reward to Luce for her rent. I figure she probably didn't go on a job while we were gone, so I thought I'd make it up to her by paying for her apartment for the next few months…"

Dear Mavis, this boy was too sweet for his own good! It was absolutely adorable how much he cared for his female partner's wellbeing.

"Aw, Natsu!" Mira cooed. "That's so thoughtful." He blushed and looked away.

"B-besides, me and Happy spent the rest of the money on food, so we've only got a bit left for food money after we get back." And at that, Mira felt a bead of sweat roll down her temple. Natsu's stomach sure could put a dent in his wallet.

"Of course. Well, don't even worry about it. Your gift to Lucy won't cost you a Jewel! It isn't even something that you have to get for her. Just be back by tomorrow evening, okay?" Natsu nodded, and Happy cried out,

"Natsu! We gotta go! The train's gonna leave in a few minutes!"

At the mention of the railway transportation, Natsu's face took on a sickly, pale green tinge.

"Bye Mira," he muttered. She waved her farewell, and then the connection was cut, and the lacrima swirled before returning to its original, crystalline state. Storing the communication lacrima away, Mirajane swept down the bar to where her next customer was waiting, her spirits high. It was looking more and more likely that Lucy would be having a 'Merry' Christmas after all.

Swinging her legs in the air merrily, little Asuka Connell hummed a Christmas tune cheerfully. "Hello, sweetheart! What can I get you tonight?" Mira asked her lovingly, viewing her youngest guild mate as her own sibling.

"Some milk please!" the young sharpshooter chirped, beaming adorably.

"One glass of milk and a plate of cookies coming right up!" The little girl giggled, before suddenly falling quiet, and Mira looked at her in concern. "What's wrong Asuka-chan?"

"Mira-nee, how come Lucy-nee was so sad when she left?" Mira turned to her in surprise.

"You noticed that?" Asuka nodded, her braid bouncing on her back. "Well, I'm not really sure. She won't tell me."

"When Mommy is sad or grumpy, Daddy always kisses her to make her feel better, and then she smiles again!" Asuka confided in her matter-of-factly. "Do you think if Natsu-nii kissed her, Lucy-nee would be happy and smiling again?" Mirajane stared at the young child in front of her in silent astonishment, before a sly smile curled her lips. Looks like Natsu would have something else to give Lucy this holiday season…

"Asuka-chan, would you like to write a letter to Santa Claus?"

The next day, Lucy came home from the guild early. She'd gone to give her friends their presents, and while she'd known it was most likely impossible, her heart had sunk even further when Natsu hadn't burst through the doors in a grand entrance the way he normally did. And so, not wanting to taint her friends' merry moods with her heartache, she'd claimed to be tired and left. Once she arrived in her apartment, she shook the snow off of her boots (they'd managed to be blessed with a White Christmas this year, a rare feat with the city's normally warm climate), and quickly maneuvered her cold body into a hot bath.

Afterwards found her settling into the comfiest armchair in her home with a steaming mug of hot chocolate. Normally, at this time of day, she'd be at her desk, working on her latest novel. But the last few weeks of quiet solitude in the evenings had given her more than enough time to put her ideas on paper and add to her story's manuscript. Now, she was fresh out of inspiration, and even ahead of schedule.

She'd lit a fire in the fireplace, and now she stared into its flickering orange and yellow flames absently, lost in her own thoughts. Natsu and Happy would most likely return home sometime in the next two days. And while she would be overjoyed to see them, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that Santa hadn't granted her Christmas wish…

Finishing off her hot chocolate until only the dregs remained at the bottom of the mug, Lucy jumped when there was a sudden knock on her door, the neck of her oversized night shirt slipping down one of her shoulders. She uncurled herself from the chair and padded to the door in sock-clad feet, brushing her hair out of her eyes as she reached forward and turned the knob. In front of her stood the greatest surprise she could ask for.

"N-Natsu?" she stammered, looking quickly between the pinkette and the flying cat seated on his head. "Happy? When did you two get back?"

"Luce!" Without answering, she squeaked as he immediately engulfed her in a warm – not to mention tight – hug, his muscular arms lifting her off the ground.

"Natsu!" she yelped, her arms flying around his neck at the loss of solid footing.

"Hi Lushi!" Happy called, wrapping his own short blue arms around the top of her head and rubbing his cheek into her hair. She could feel Natsu's nose nuzzling into her neck, and her face just about exploded with heat.

"You guys!" she groaned in embarrassment. "Can we at least move this inside? Y'know, where people can't stare at me like a weirdo?" And a weird sight it would be indeed. While she felt elated that Natsu had missed her so much to embrace her thus, he wasn't her boyfriend (yet, hopefully) and the affectionate scene was somewhat out of place.

Natsu laughed into her neck, and she repressed the shiver caused by his hot breath washing over the sensitive skin. "But you are a weirdo, Luce. What difference does it make if a few more people know?"

"Gee, thanks," she muttered, unwinding her arms as he set her back on the ground. He gazed down at her happily, his usual boyish grin already growing on his face at the familiar expression of his disgruntled blonde. Mavis, he had missed Lucy so much. Going on a mission without her after so long working together felt like trying to tie shoelaces with one hand – nearly impossible and frustrating as hell without practice.

Following her into her apartment, he took a deep breath and allowed her comforting scent of warm vanilla and lavender to wash over him like it hadn't in 19 days. All of the tension in his body drained away and he walked over to her couch before slumping into it with a great sigh.

"Man, Luce, I really missed your apartment."

"Only my apartment?" she teased as she made her way back to him after disappearing into the kitchen, a mug of hot chocolate held out in offering. He took it from her gratefully and looked around to find Happy seated on the kitchen table, gnawing on a fish blissfully. His smiled again, and his eyes found their way back to his partner who was smirking at him with her hands on her hips. The sleeve of her big black sweater had slid down, baring one slim shoulder to his eyes and he drank in the milky skin before realizing what he was doing and hid a small blush behind the rim of his glass as he took a long sip.

The rest of her body was dressed in slender sweatpants and bright orange, fuzzy socks. Her hair hung over her shoulders and back loosely, not a single strand tied back. He liked the way comfy-cozy Lucy looked; it made him feel like just wrapping his arms around her and curling up in her bed with her for a nap…

"Well, I guess I mostly missed your bed," he finally answered, grinning mischievously when she rolled her eyes at him and settled into the armchair across from him. By the mug placed on the coffee table in front of it, he guessed that that was where she had been seated when he'd arrived as well. As she leveled him with an unimpressed expression, he mock pouted. "I'm just kidding Luce, I missed you too."

Lucy blushed at his honest words and felt her heart thump away in her chest. He really needed to stop messing with her heart; he was starting to confuse her head.

"Y-you know, I'm surprised you guys even bothered with the door, considering how you always seem to break in through my window. What's with the change of pace?" she questioned him as she curled up comfortably in her seat. He shrugged one shoulder, but looked at her guiltily.

"Well, I know you were already mad at us about leaving without you, so I figured it would be better not to make you even more upset…" At his sheepish smile, she chuckled. Lucy watched as Natsu tilted the cup back one more time and drained the warm and creamy drink, releasing a satisfied sigh as he placed the mug on the table. Then, as he made to recline (and probably take a nap) his eyes snapped open and focused on her.

"I almost forgot!" He rose to his feet and swiftly came to stand in front of her, pulling her up as well. "Merry Christmas Lucy!" She blushed again and smiled shyly in response to the closed eyed beam he gave her. "I have a present for you!" She tilted her head in surprise.

"A present? When did you guys have time for that?" He chuckled and moved to his pack, digging through it for a moment before producing a familiar burlap sack, the one they reserved especially for the reward money. "Natsu?"

"Here!" he said, thrusting the slightly heavy bag into her arms. She stared up at him wide-eyed and jaw hanging. "I'm sorry we couldn't go together Luce, but I figured you wouldn't take a job without us either, and that you'd be low on rent money this month. So here's most of our reward money to make up for it." Tears of gratitude built in her eyes and she wiped them away hastily.

"Natsu! You don't have to do that for me! I would've been fine. I can't accept this." She tried to push the Jewel back at him, but he refused to take hold of what was rightfully his.

"Yes you can!" he insisted. "It's my present to you!"

"But-"

"No buts!"

"I really can't-"

"Luce, stop being stubborn!"

"Natsu, I don't feel comfort-"

"Lucy!" he exclaimed in exasperation. "Just take the Jewel! Seriously, Happy and I will be fine; that's not even all of it anyways." She continued to look up at him uncertainly, but when he gave her a stern glare she sighed and loosened the string to check how much was in there. It felt heavier than it should have…

"What the – Natsu, this is way too much for one month!" she said. He snickered.

"I know – it's for three."

It was silent between them for a moment before she shrieked and tackled him in a hug, the money falling forgotten to the floor with a jangle.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" she exclaimed, her voice slightly muffled against his chest. He laughed good-naturedly and wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on the top of her head. On the table, Happy giggled behind his paw and Natsu blushed and rolled his eyes. _'You liiiiike her'_ the cat mouthed, before giggling again.

Stupid cat.

Lucy eventually pulled away, resisting the urge to sink into his comforting hold once more and squeezed one of his roughened and tan hands happily as she smiled up at him before turning and picking up the mugs to take them back into the kitchen.

"Well, I guess we finished up Mira's errand," Natsu said to Happy behind her.

"An errand?" she questioned over her shoulder.

"Mhmm. When we got back into Magnolia, we went straight to the guild to see Mira like she told us to yesterday." She turned to look at him over her shoulder in confusion.

"Yesterday? But I thought you got back today? How did you talk to Mira yesterday?"

"The client had a universal communication lacrima," he told her offhandedly, coming to lean against the kitchen table as she washed, rinsed, and dried the mugs. She began to put all of her hot chocolate ingredients away and waited for him to elaborate. "Anyways, we called yesterday to let Mira know we'd be back by tonight, and she told us that she had something we could do for you since you were upset that we couldn't take you with us." She blushed in embarrassment, and opened her mouth to deny it but he just continued talking.

"When we came in, she just handed me a letter and told me to fulfill the wish on it." At this, his mouth quirked up into an odd little smile, and his onyx eyes softened as they met her gaze. She froze. Letter…? He pulled the paper from one of his pockets and handed it to her. Happy had come to watch the scene as she took the folded up sheet with a trembling hand. Oh no… Don't tell her that this was…?

But it was. In her hands, Lucy held the very same letter she had written to Santa Claus the day before. However, it looked as though 'Santa' was really just Mira involved in another one of her schemes. Her face burned as she realized that Natsu had understood what the somewhat cryptic note meant perfectly. She looked back up only to see him sweeping into a bow.

"Hello, princess," he teased. She squeaked and hid her face behind the paper, almost positive that it would soon burn to ashes from the heat radiating off of her face.

"This is so embarrassing," she moaned. He laughed good-naturedly at her, but before she could say anything to defend herself, Happy intervened. Though not exactly in a way that was helpful to her current flustered state.

"Natsu, Natsu! You forgot about the other letter," Happy purred, his paw rising to hide his knowing smirk.

"Oh, you're right!" Natsu said, snapping his fingers. "Thanks little buddy!" Fishing around in his pockets again, Lucy watched as he pulled another, slightly wrinkled paper from his one-sleeved waist coat, unfolding it and rereading its contents quickly. She was baffled when a pink hue stole over his tanned cheeks, but he coughed slightly, and stepped closer, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Uh, right. So this was another wish that I'm supposed to fulfill, so no complaining, okay Luce?" he said sternly, pulling her in closer. Her heart stuttered in her chest at the dwindling distance between them, and her face took on a new degree of heat.

"W-what are you doing? What does this have to do with your letter?"

"Asuka's wish was for Natsu to make you smile again!" Happy giggled above their heads, hovering over them with a mischievous smile. "The same way her daddy makes her mommy feel better!"

"Huh?" Lucy questioned dumbly, looking up at him only to see mistletoe clutched in his blue paws. "Ack! What the – Natsu, you're not about to kiss me are you?!" she screeched, attempting to backpedal away. However, one of his arms moved to hook around her waist and pull her flush against him, and she stumbled, her hands falling onto his sturdy chest.

"It was her Christmas wish, Luce!" the pinkette whined. "I can't just let her down!"

"That doesn't mean you can just kiss me!" she squawked. "Where's your sense of propriety?!" One of his rough and warm hands cupped her cheek, and he smiled lazily at her, his dark eyes tender and crinkled in amusement.

"Oh, come on Lucy. It's just one little kiss. What's it gonna do?"

She had lost her voice by that point and could only stare stupidly into his eyes before they slid shut in front of her. Then, she was following in his footsteps and taking in the warmth of his body, shivering as his warm breath brushed across her lips. The last thing she noticed was the tender brush of his thumb over her cheekbone as their lips softly met, his slightly chapped against her softer and moister mouth.

He kissed her gently at first, the faintest pressure of his mouth on hers, before seemingly regaining his usual confidence and pouring the fire into the intimate encounter. His lips slanted over hers intensely and she gasped, moaning quietly when he took the opportunity to slide his tongue into her mouth. She deigned to return the favor, albeit more shyly, and Happy's sneaky snicker floated through her ears, before the click of her window registered in her mind.

She pulled away with a gasp, her lungs lacking in oxygen, but Natsu's blazing mouth proceeded to her jaw and her neck, where he lavished the area in affectionate nips and sucks. She groaned slightly and let one hand clutch at his shoulder, the other sliding into his surprisingly silky pink hair and holding his mouth to her skin.

"N-Natsu!" she gasped. He hummed into the area where her neck and shoulder met, before peppering the stretch of satiny skin with soft kisses and pulling away. Panting breathlessly, she gazed at him in shock, her mind somewhat scrambled. "W-what was that?" she finally mustered.

"I'm not sure," he murmured, the thumb of one hand rubbing small soothing circles into her hip as the other arm curled around her waist. "But you tasted really good. Better than golden fire."

She blushed profusely, "I-idiot! Don't go saying stupid things!" Mock-frowning, he tightened his grip around her, laughing when she squeaked, but smiled bashfully up at him.

"Merry Christmas, Luce."

 **AUTHORS NOTE:** _Well, it's finally that time of year again! Christmas is right around the corner, and I'm really excited! Actually this is probably the most excited I've been for it in a good couple of years. How about you guys?_

 _Anyway, I'm going to go ahead and be honest; I've had this piece sitting on my laptop for almost a year now! I wanted to post it last year, but didn't end up finishing it until February due to school and Writer's Block. Hopefully you guys like it, and Natsu and Lucy aren't too OOC. They feel a_ little _out of character, but anything that involves explicit romance and Natsu is always going to be that way._

 _Happy Holidays!_

 _Kyuubi_


End file.
